


If You Fall In Love

by Palatinedreams



Category: The Lost Boys (Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood Drinking, Canon Divergence, Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Temporary Character Death, Vampires, alternate uptake on the original movie, inspired by a songtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:42:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29640408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palatinedreams/pseuds/Palatinedreams
Summary: After almost killing his own brother and being attacked by Nanook, Sam's faithful dog, Michael goes to the hotel, looking for answers to his questions. But it's not Star he finds there, it's David waiting there for him; and when the night is over, nothing will ever be the same again for both of them.Story and title inspired by another song from the bandLord of the Lostagain:Break Your Heart.
Relationships: David/Michael Emerson (Lost Boys)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	If You Fall In Love

**Author's Note:**

> When I rewatched the movie again, I wondered how things might have gone if Michael had met David in the hotel and not Star. This is my idea of how the movie and the story of Michael and David could have progressed, and as it happens often, my muse gets inspired strongly by music and special songs, so this story is centred around another song of one of my favorite bands again.
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy reading it! <33
> 
> The centred lines in Italic are the songtext of the song _Break Your Heart_ from _Lord of the Lost_ and belong to the band entirely.

_You must break your heart_

_Don't you think I'm sorry  
I'm scheming and so cold  
I have lost my conscience  
But I never lose control_

_If you fall in love  
Don't give me your heart  
But if you do so, still  
You must break your heart_

He'd almost killed his own brother.

He'd wanted to kill Sam, tear him open with his teeth and sate the hungry beast roaring inside him.

Michael's head was pounding when he finally reached the hotel, the memory of what he'd almost done to his brother urging him on and making him feel sick and utterly disgusted about himself. He needed to find Star, he needed to find answers to the questions whirling in his mind in an endless loop, and Star was the only one who could give him those answers.

He parked his bike and lit a torch to head down the stairs to the caves, calling Star's name all over again, blind and deaf to anything else other than his urgent need to find the girl and ask her what was happening to him.

“Star's not here, Michael.”

The carousel of his frantic thoughts came to a screeching halt at the sound of the male voice, David's voice.

The blond boy sat in the wheelchair, cigarette in his hand and blowing smoke into the stale air. He was watching Michael with a mixture of wariness and curiosity, his eyes following Michael when he circled the wheelchair, anger boiling inside him and rising in his throat like acid.

“Where's Star?” he hissed, “what did you do to her?”

“Nothing, I did nothing to Star, Michael.” David's voice was calm, and Michael balled his fists, ready to punch him in his face again like he'd done it in the night when David had first taken him to the hotel.

“Where is she, then?!” he growled, stopping in front of David to grab the armrests of the wheelchair and push it back and forth.

The blond took another drag from his cigarette, unfazed by Michael's behavior and blowing smoke into his face as he inclined his head in thoughtful observation. Their faces were only inches apart, and Michael found himself staring into the green-blue irises of David's eyes, unable to look away when the other boy was holding his gaze like that.

“What do you want from Star, Michael? We both know that it's not her you really came here for, don't we?” David whispered after a minute or so, his breath ghosting over Michael's flushed face, making the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck rise up. He wanted to pull away, but he couldn't, and he knew that David could see the truth in his eyes when the other boy's gaze softened, reaching out with his glove-covered hand to trace over Michael's trembling lips with his thumb.

He'd tried so hard to suppress his feelings, telling himself that it was indeed Star he still wanted, denying the connection between David and him he'd felt right from the start. But it had been David's call he'd followed when the blond had challenged him, David who he'd wanted to impress and please when he'd drunk from the bottle, not Star.

David let the stub of the cigarette fall down to the ground to crush it with his boot as he dropped his gaze down to Michael's lips to follow the motions of his thumb with his eyes, and Michael found himself unable to move, rooted to the spot and reacting to the feather-light touch of David's hand with a shiver wrecking his body in response.

“You want answers, Michael, but you already know them. You only need to listen inside yourself and accept the truth. You're one of us, Michael, can't you feel it in your blood?”

They were so close to each other, and Michael couldn't tell later who of them had made the first move – whether it had been David dragging him down - or rather he pulling David up to himself until their lips met in a heated and yet somewhat shy first kiss, the blond boy craning his head back to meet Michael's mouth with his own as he bent down over the wheelchair and closed his eyes to give in to his desire and do what he'd wanted to do since he'd looked into those beautiful green-blue eyes for the first time.

*~*~*

_Don't lay it in my hands  
'Cause I will break your heart  
Don't you understand?  
I will be your end_

_I can deal with pieces  
I can deal with parts  
But don't you give me everything  
Don't you go so far_

They didn't break their passionate kiss as they stumbled over to the other side of the dome-like cave where the bed was placed before the wall in one of the dark corners, lips moving passionately and tongues swirling around each other teasingly. Michael's head was still pounding, every fiber of his body aching with the need to lose himself in David's arms and his kisses.

Hands were pulling at their clothes, clumsy in their haste to liberate the other one from the offending garments that denied them access to smooth skin and soft flesh, and Michael's groan was an echo of David's moan when they were finally naked, sinking down onto the bed in a tight embrace, their lips swollen and numb from their heated kisses.

They rolled over the mattress as they both fought to win the upper hand, and Michael had to admit defeat when David pushed him down onto his back and straddled him, catching his wrists to trap them on the pillows and pin them down behind his head with his left hand. David's usually light green-blue eyes were dark with passion, hooded with lust, and Michael couldn't remember ever having been this hard in his whole life before. He stared up at the blond boy, held immobile by his left hand and between David's strong thighs, licking over his bruised bottom lip when he returned David's hungry look with both arousal and defiance written all over his own face.

“What are you waiting for?” he challenged the blond, his jaw set in a determined line. David chuckled, a throaty sound that went straight into his groin and made his already leaking cock twitch with desperate need.

“Michael. Lying beneath me, trapped and defeated, and yet still so demanding.” David's voice was like the low purr of a lion, the flickering flames of the torches on the wall making his bleached blond hair look like a real lion's mane and his eyes shine golden in his angelic face. His beard was scratching delicately over Michael's own clean-shaven skin when he bent down to kiss him again and nip at his lips with sharp but gentle teeth, sending another shiver through his body.

“Stop talking, David!” Michael hissed, chasing after the other boy's lips when the blond pulled back with another throaty chuckle, and David crashed their lips together in another ardent and bruising kiss, wrapping his right hand around Michael's throbbing erection at last. Michael's eyes rolled back in his head with the pleasure coursing through him, David's fingers still oddly cool against his burning flesh and adding to the sensations that were making his mind spin with raw desire.

David's cock was bouncing against his pale abdomen with every motion the blond made, the head swollen and glistening with the precome their ardent encounter had already milked from him. Michael had never lain with another boy, and he wasn't sure how things worked between men, but David seemed to know what he was doing when he lifted himself up after stroking Michael for a few minutes and coaxing more milky wetness out of the throbbing slit to line him up this way, watching him the entire time like a hunter would watch his prey. He lowered himself down on Michael's slick and swollen manhood with a low hiss, and Michael feared that he would come right on the spot when David sank deeper, taking him into his body with so much ease, and the delicious friction of the blond's walls cramping around him made stars explode before Michael's eyes and his hands tremble in David's hard grip.

David was so tight, his beautiful features suffused with lust and something dark as he stared down at Michael, his eyes flashing golden with want and need. Michael fought to free his hands again and grab his narrow hips when David didn't move, but the other boy held his wrists down easily, bending down to tease him with feather-light kisses along his jaw.

“Easy, Michael, the night is still young. You don't want it to be over too soon, do you?” he whispered into his ear, his cool breath ghosting over Michael's burning cheeks and pulling another shiver from him.

“David!” Michael ground out, his hands curling into fists of their own accord as he dug his nails into his palms to keep himself from just losing it. He felt a sharp stinging ache when his nails tore the fresh wound open again where Nanook had bitten him earlier this evening, drawing new blood, and David's eyes darkened with a strange hunger when they fell onto his bloody hand. He sat back on his heels and lifted Michael's hand to his mouth to lick his palm clean, purring sounds vibrating in his throat when he swallowed Michael's blood down. Michael moaned and bucked his hips up with his growing need, holding onto David's hip with his now free hand to sheathe himself deeper inside the blond's body. David chuckled, resisting Michael's attempts for a moment before he gave in and sank further down, burying Michael's rock-hard cock deeper inside his secret core.

“So delicious, Michael,” he cooed after one final lick with his tongue, “so beautiful.” He bent down again, Michael's hand still in his grip, now trapped between their bodies. He kissed Michael deep with lips, teeth and tongue, finally starting to move up and down and give both of them what they craved so much, bracing his other hand against the pillow beside Michael's head to keep his balance as he lifted himself up and pushed down again in a fast rhythm.

Michael was lost, feeling like burning from the inside, goosebumps forming on his bare skin where David's cooler flesh touched him as he moved. “Michael, Michael, beautiful Michael...” David breathed his name against his lips, kissing him, and then he let go of Michael's hand and allowed him to take over control of their lovemaking and turn them around until he lay beneath Michael's body.

“David!” Michael stared down at the blond boy with dark blue eyes, and he could feel this strange hunger inside him grow stronger again when his gaze fell on David's throat, pale against the pillows and glistening from Michael's sweat.

“You're one of us,” David murmured when he saw the hungry expression on Michael's face, arching his back to meet Michael's hard thrusts with the same passion. “You know it, you can feel me in your blood, can't you?” His voice was barely audible and yet ringing in Michael's ears, sounding everywhere inside his head. It was almost as if he could feel David's thoughts, hear his laughter in his mind, connected through a bond that went deeper than anything Michael had ever known.

He growled, and without thinking bent down to bite down on the pale shoulder, his taste buds literally exploding when David's dark blood filled his mouth, thick and rich and burning like fire on his tongue, its iron and yet earthy taste making Michael want more and more.

“Yesss, Michael!” David encouraged him, pulling at his dark curls to press his mouth harder against his throat, and the pain the harsh pulling caused brought Michael back to his senses again. He growled, angry that he'd lost control like that, tearing his mouth away from the other one's neck to kiss him furiously and swallow his protest with his hungry kiss. David dug his nails into his scalp, his hips pushing against him and his hard cock rubbing against Michael's stomach with every hard thrust. They moved faster, Michael driving into the other boy all over again with wanton abandon, and the world seemed to stop moving when his orgasm overtook him almost without any warning.

Michael threw his head back and screamed out, shuddering violently above David, and he was vaguely aware of the wetness spilling against his stomach when the blond followed him over the edge with a strangled cry of his own. His heart was hammering in his chest so hard that Michael feared that it would beat its way out of it, and when he dropped down on David after one last thrust, there was nothing but satisfaction for a rather long time, satisfaction and David purring steadily into his ear.

***~*~***

_If I touch you fondly  
Don't give in to me  
But if you do so, still  
You must break your heart_

“Hi there.”

Michael blinked his eyes open to see David lying on his side and watching him, carding through his tousled curls with tender fingers.

David smiled at him when their eyes met, not the usual challenging or mocking grin he showed so often, but a tender and almost sweet smile that tightened Michael's throat with something he recognized as love.

He'd fallen in love with David without realizing it, and now he also realized that he hadn't come here tonight to search for Star, but that he'd hoped to find David waiting for him all along. The anger and the dark hunger he'd felt earlier were gone, and Michael felt strangely peaceful instead, gently untangling David's fingers from his hair to press tender kisses all over them. He pulled the other boy closer to kiss him, and David kissed him back, but he craned his head back afterwards to regard him attentively.

“Don't do that, Michael.” he said quietly, and Michael frowned.

“Don't do what?” he asked back, and David sighed. He cupped his cheek with his hand, his eyes dark with regret.

“Don't fall in love with me.”

Michael swallowed, disappointment crashing over him and making him feel sick. “Why not?” he brought out, his voice shallow and strangled, but he couldn't bring himself to move away, his body seeking their closeness of its own will.

“Because you must break your heart either way if you fall in love with me, Michael. It's either me or your family. You can't have both.” David sounded small, his voice lacking the arrogance and self-confidence he usually showed when Marko, Paul and Dwayne were around and he was their unchallenged leader; and Michael wondered briefly which of the two Davids was the real one – the arrogant gang leader, or the uncertain boy whose eyes were looking at him with so much longing and tenderness right now.

“I see,” he said, even though he didn't understand anything, “But what if it's already too late? What if I've already fallen in love with you, David?”

“Then you must break your heart, Michael,” David whispered, pulling him close and kissing him hard on his mouth before Michael had the chance to react. Michael kissed him back with the same passion, all too happy to lose himself in David's embrace once more.

Whatever David meant when he said that Michael must break his heart if he fell in love with him, he didn't want to think about it tonight. Tonight he wanted to feel David's arms around himself, feel his kisses and his love and passion, and he gave in to the other boy's new seduction happily until he fell asleep in David's arms when the morning was already dawning, sated and exhausted.

When he woke up again hours later, the sun already high in the sky, David was gone, the only proof of what had happened the dressing David must have wrapped around his hand again before he'd left him. Michael pulled at the stained bandage and flexed his fingers tentatively, and when he looked at his palm, he found it healed and unscathed without any visible scar.

_*~*~*_

_Don't lay it in my hands  
'Cause I will break your heart  
Don't you understand?  
You must break your heart_

_Don't lay it in my hands  
'Cause I will break your heart  
Don't you understand?  
I will be your end_

Michael had gone to the Boardwalk again, driven by his urge to finally get the answers to his questions David still hadn't given him and his longing to see the other boy again after their passionate night together.

The blond had just told him to come with him if he really wanted answers, and Michael had followed the gang to the beach, even though he would have preferred to be alone with David.

Now he was crouching between the branches of a short tree, watching in horror David's beautiful face changing into a stranger with alien looking features and eyes that didn't resemble the David he'd thought to know in any way any longer.

“Initiation's over, Michael, time to join the club!”

David's voice was still the same, but the boy who'd made love to him so tenderly and passionately last night vanished in the cool night breeze that was blowing over the beach, replaced by a mask of horror that seemed to spring to life right from Michael's most terrifying nightmares.

Eyes that had been of a such a beautiful light green-blue color just seconds ago, shining with so much passion and longing last night, were glowing in a dangerous amber-gold now, two terribly looking and razor sharp fangs baring to Michael's horrified gaze as David twisted his lips into an ugly and horrifying parody of his usual lopsided smile.

Marko, Dwayne and Paul were laughing like maniacs, their faces turned into the same masks of horror as David's. Michael stared at them, unable to run away or just move, and to his utter horror he felt the dark beast raise its ugly head deep inside him again, the same beast that had roared and raged in his body when he'd wanted to kill his brother and feast on his blood until nothing more than just a wrinkled shell would be all that was left of Sammy.

Michael clung to the branches with all his might as he watched David and his boys savaging the men partying on the beach as their nemesis, their blood coloring the sand deep red and their screams turning into weak gurgling before their eyes broke, frozen in the horror they'd experienced right before their violent death.

Michael grunted and groaned, and he could feel bones in his face shifting and his own fangs trying to extract as he fought against the hungry beast that demanded that he joined his brethren to feast on the men's claret like the others.

A loud scream was torn from his throat when he finally lost his balance and fell from the tree with a dull sound, staring up at David and the gang as the four vampires strolled back over to where he was lying and still fighting against the monstrous stranger inside his head and his body. Their features were human-like again, but their lips were still red with blood, and they were laughing when they saw the horror in his face. David was grinning as he looked down at him, raising his eyebrows and taking in a deep satisfied breath before he said:

“So, now you know what we are, now you know what you are. You never grow old, Michael, and you'll never die. But you must feed.”

Their laughter sounded in the wind that was blowing over the beach, wafting the smell of blood in his direction, and Michael could see his own reflection in David's sparkling eyes, knowing that it was only a matter of time until he would become a killer himself just like David was.

***~*~***

_You must break your heart  
Don't lay it in my hands  
'Cause I will break your heart  
Don't you understand?_

_You must break your heart  
Don't lay it in my hands  
'Cause I will break your heart  
Don't you understand?_

_You must break your heart_

_'You must break your heart either way, Michael.'_

Michael stared down at David's still and lifeless body, the words the blond vampire had said to him in that fateful night in the hotel echoing in his head. Had David known that it would end like this – that Michael would kill him so he could be with his family again?

He looked so peaceful in his final sleep, his features turned fully human again and younger than Michael remembered them, his angular and yet so elegant jawline and cheeks clean-shaven and giving him an innocent and angelic look that was so different from his true and so terrifying vampire appearance that it almost hurt to look at him and made Michael's mind spin with both helpless anger and desperate longing.

Two so different selves had defined David, two different souls united in one being, the ruthless killer and the restless boy who'd been so tender and gentle with him in their first night – which had also been their last night. If only Michael had known it back then.

If only he had not fallen in love with David in that night.

But he had, and now it was too late.

Michael reached out with his hand to touch David's peaceful features and stroke over the smooth and hairless skin of his cold cheek. It was wet from the tears that were silently rolling over his own face, and Michael caught one with his thumb, gently wiping it away from the other boy's cool lips.

“You told me that I'd break my own heart, but I didn't believe you. I was so stupid and arrogant, and I thought that I could have it all – you and my family. You warned me not to fall in love with you, but I did it anyway, David. And now it is too late.”

Michael pulled his hand away, closing his eyes for a moment before he bent down again to put his arms under David's shoulders and legs and lift him up from the horns. The sounds of Star, his mother, Sam and his grandpa rummaging through the house to clean the worst mess were just a distant background noise in his ears, and he hoped that none of them would enter grandpa's working room now of all times to disturb him and keep him from carrying David outside. The mere thought that Sam or the Frog brothers would try to burn David's body made his blood freeze in his veins, and for a split second Michael wished that he were still half vampire, that Max' death hadn't undone his change.

If he still were half vampire, maybe he would be able to revive David with his own blood. But he'd sensed the change inside him the moment when Max had exploded, and he didn't feel any bloodlust any longer, only a deep sadness and exhaustion.

Lifting David up into his arms was yet surprisingly easy, though, and Michael was grateful that there was only little blood dripping onto his clothes when he pulled David close to his chest to carry him outside. He didn't know why David hadn't gone as violently as the others, but he was grateful for it, and he hoped that bringing David back where he'd always belonged would give him some peace of mind back and close the painful gap in his heart David's death had left there.

“Where are you going, Michael?” His mother's voice caught him off guard, and he craned his head over his shoulder to look at her pausing on the threshold he'd just wanted to pass.

“Burying him, mom,” he said, his jaw set in a line of determination. “I need to do that.”

Lucy regarded him with a worried expression, and Michael returned her thoughtful gaze, willing himself not to look away, even though he feared that she was seeing right through him. She was his mother, and he'd never really been able to keep secrets from her.

Her eyes flickered to David's face that was nestled against his shoulder, and after a moment, she sighed.

“Yes, I guess you have to do that,” she said, accepting resignation audible in her voice. “Will you be alright, Michael?”

“Sure, mom.” They both knew that it was a lie, but she accepted his answer just like she'd accepted that he'd grown out of her care and had to make his own decisions from now on.

“You are my son, and I love you, Michael,” Lucy said, and Michael felt new tears prickle in his eyes.

“Love you, too, mom,” he croaked out, pressing David against his chest like a protecting shield as he stepped onto the stairs. The other boy was motionless in his arms, his dark lashes forming half moons on his pale skin, his features relaxed and innocent as if he were only sleeping. Lucy glanced at David' still body one last time before she gave Michael one of her sweet smiles and then turned away to go back into the house and close the door behind her.

Michael stood in the front yard for a moment, staring at the closed door and then up at the shadows of people moving behind the illuminated windows. Lucy, Sam and grandpa were still cleaning up, while Star was standing at the window in Michael's room and looking down at him, her long curls shining like a halo around her dark silhouette in the light of the lamp on the nightstand behind her.

They looked at each other for several long seconds, and then Star raised her hands to press them against the glass in a silent plea. Michael swallowed, David a heavy weight in his arms that reminded him of what he needed to do. He shook his head when Star opened her mouth, her words inaudible behind the closed window, but Michael knew what she was saying anyway. He turned away from her, walking along the path without a single glance back.

*~*~*

_Don't lay it in my hands  
'Cause I will break your heart  
Don't you understand?_

_I will be your end (If you fall in love)  
I will be your end (Don't give me your heart)  
I will be your end (If you fall in love)  
Don't you understand? (Don't give me your heart)  
I will be your end_

Michael didn't know how he'd made it to the hotel, carrying David all the way there on his arms. The past hours blurred all together in his hurting mind, and he felt tired down to his bones and wide awake at the same time.

He stumbled over to the bed where they had made love to put David down onto the crumbled sheets and catch his breath. Had it really just been two nights ago that they'd come together as lovers? To Michael it felt as if an entire lifetime had passed since then, and it probably had, because his life had changed forever and would never be the same again. He stared down at David's angelic face, so young, innocent and peaceful. He looked as if he were just sleeping, but the two deep holes in his chest reminded Michael painfully of the fact that the blond vampire would never wake up again – and that he was responsible for his death.

He had killed David, breaking not only the vampire's heart when he'd pushed him down onto the antlers, but his own, as well. “I love you, David. I just wish that we've had more time together,” he whispered as he lay down beside the blond boy, stroking reverently over his in his death suddenly clean-shaven cheek. He felt so tired, and he needed to close his eyes just for a moment before he could bury the vampire deep down in one of the caves, now that his own vampiric strength was gone together with David.

“Just for a moment,” he murmured, bending over David to burn the sight of his still so beautiful face in his memory forever. “I'm not ready to let you go yet.” He bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from crying again, and the pain as he broke his skin and a small droplet of blood appeared on his lip was a welcome distraction from the ache in his heart. He deserved to feel all the pain in the world after what he'd done to the ones he loved, to Sam, his mom and grandpa – and to David.

Michael bit down harder, watching how his blood fell down onto David's pale lips, his vision blurring with hot tears despite his attempts to keep them at bay. He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face on the other boy's shoulder, one part of him wishing that he'd never met David, while the other one wished that he'd just died together with him so they would be united in death forever.

*~*~*

Michael dreamed.

David wasn't dead, his face hovering over Michael and his lips moving in whispered words. His green-blue eyes were looking down at him, dark with love, but it couldn't be, because David was dead, because he'd been the one killing him.

Michael knew that he was dreaming, and he never wanted to wake up from that dream again, but David's voice became louder, telling him to wake up, and Michael opened his eyes wide with a gasp, his heart beating so hard against his ribcage as if he'd run a marathon.

“Michael.”

Michael gasped again, blinking to clear his sleep-dazed mind that was apparently playing tricks on him. He'd seen David dying, he'd carried him all the way to the old hotel to bury him where he'd lived for so long, and he must still be dreaming because it couldn't be that David was still alive and looking at him now.

“You're not dreaming, Michael.” David's voice was thin, weak and full of pain, but his eyes were open, and his lips twitched into a small smile when he had Michael's full attention.

“David!” Michael pushed himself up onto his elbow, reaching out to touch the vampire's face and blinking again. “But how? I saw you dying! I killed you, and I saw you dying...”

David grimaced when he touched the holes in his coat with his hand and the simple motion let another wave of pain wash over him. “Horn is not wood, and the antlers missed my heart by a few centimeters. I fell in a coma, and I'm not really sure what it was that brought me back, but you must have done something to wake me up again.” The vampire frowned as he touched his mouth with his fingertips, and a strangled sound escaped Michael when he realized what must have happened.

“I bled on your mouth when I bit my lip before I fell asleep on your shoulder,” he said, and David's eyes widened in surprise.

“I see. So you must really love me, Michael,” he murmured, lifting a trembling hand up to Michael's face looming so close over his own. Michael closed his eyes as he pressed his cheek into the touch of the cold fingers that were gently wiping his tears away now. Michael hadn't even noticed that he'd started crying again, and he inhaled a shaky breath as he smiled at the vampire.

“Of course, I do. You warned me not to fall in love with you, but it was already too late. You said that falling in love with you would break my heart, and you were right. But you're still here with me because of some true miracle, so maybe the break can yet be fixed again.” He took David's hand to press a gentle kiss on his palm before he snuggled closer and bend down to kiss him on his cold lips.

David returned the kiss for a moment before he pushed him away to search for his eyes again.

“I'm here with you for now, but I won't be there tomorrow, Michael. I'm weak, too weak to leave this place and feed, and I'll be gone soon, so I fear that your heart will break again.” The vampire looked at him, and Michael felt as if someone had poured a bowl with ice-cold water over his head. He'd been so euphoric in his belief that he could have both, David and his family, that he wouldn't need to choose between them, but as he now regarded David more closely, really looking at him, he realized that he'd been deceiving himself the whole time.

The shock wave when Max had gone up in flames had turned him back to become fully human again, at least Michael had believed that this had happened until this moment, and he'd thought that his bone-deep exhaustion had come from losing his vampiric strength and their fight against David and the others. But as he looked at David now and listened inside himself, he could sense how the strong bond that tied David and him together ever since their first encounter flared to life again, weak and fragile, but still palpable now that he accepted it, welcoming and embracing it wholeheartedly.

It had grown stronger after Michael had drunk from the bottle, and he could still feel David's blood running through his own veins as he focused his attention on it. He'd thought that he'd become human again, but he must have been wrong, and as he concentrated on their bond now, lying so close to the wounded vampire, he sensed David's gnawing hunger and his weakness as if they were his own.

“I can't have both, can I? It's either them or you, isn't it? If I choose my family and humanity over you, I'll have to let you die, and it will be the same as if I'd really killed you in grandpa's room. It will actually be worse, and this is what you meant when you said that I must break my heart either way, right?” he whispered, and he wanted to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth as he stared into David's green-blue eyes, which had started to turn golden again. He could feel the vampire getting weaker with every second that passed, his human features slowly changing back to his true vampiric self in his slow and painful death of starvation.

David returned his gaze calmly, and for a second Michael wished that the other boy would push him and make the decision for him, but the moment was over before he'd even thought this thought to its end, and he knew that he'd come to a cross-road and had to make this decision alone.

“I told you not to fall in love with me. I told you that I would break your heart,” the vampire simply whispered back, and when Michael didn't respond for a rather long time, his gaze darkened in acceptance of his imminent death. Michael swallowed, his eyes still teary, but he was smiling when he moved closer again and bared his neck to David invitingly. He pulled the blond vampire back in his arms, his eyes falling shut when sharp teeth very gently broke the tender skin on his throat and his lover started to drink his blood.

“Yes, but it was already far too late when you did, David,” he murmured, and then, neither of them spoke up again for a very long time.

*~*~*

“Hi, Sam.” Michael said when his brother picked up the phone.

“Michael!! Where are you?!” Sam cried out, and Michael could see his face so clear before his mind's eye, the expression of worry mixed with disbelief in his eyes and how his mouth always dropped open to form a perfect 'o' when something unexpected happened and which his brother hadn't seen it coming. “Wait, I'll call mom...” he added, but Michael shook his head, even though Sam couldn't see it through the phone.

“No, don't do that, Sam. I've just called to let you know that I'm fine.” Michael objected, the unspoken words _'to say goodbye to you,'_ hanging in the air between them like a heavy weight.

Sam swallowed audibly on the other end of the line, once, twice. He cleared his throat, and his voice was calm when he spoke up again. “You're with David, aren't you?” He sounded so mature all of a sudden, and Michael felt a lump in his throat when the realization that he wouldn't see his baby brother grow up crashed him. His eyes flickered to the figure leaning against the phone cell, the bleached blond hair building a sharp contrast against the long black coat.

David was smoking another cigarette, and he turned his head when he sensed Michael looking at him through their strong bond, smiling that crooked tender smile that always made butterflies clap their wings in Michael's stomach when their eyes met through the glass. The blond beard was back in place again, making him look older and a bit ruthless, just like he'd looked when they had first met. Michael had asked him about his changed appearance when he'd been in his deep coma, but David had just shrugged his shoulders.

“ _You were seeing what you wanted to see, Michael. That's what we're all doing after all, seeing the world through our own eyes and doing our best to ignore the things we don't want to see. You didn't want to see me as the killer I actually am, so you saw the young boy I once was before Max turned me instead. Even now, when you look at me and see a young man with a blond beard, it's just your imagination – and what I want you see when you look at me. Look at me through our bond and accept the truth, and you will see the real me, Michael – just like I see the real you when I look at you.”_

Michael had needed some time to understand what David was telling him, but he did now, and David's true vampiric self was visible for Michael whenever he looked at him now, always shining through the human mask the blond vampire put on to deceive others when they weren't alone.

“Yes, I am.” he said to answer Sam's question when he focused his attention back to their talk, and his admission was met with a soft sigh that was barely audible over the background noise of the connection. “Tell mom and grandpa that I love them, will ya?” he asked around the lump in his throat, and Sam sighed again.

“You're breaking their hearts,” Sam accused him but without any venom, and he didn't need to tell Michael that his heart would be broken, too. “What about Star?” his brother just asked instead, “I thought that you and her...”

“Star will be fine – just like you, Sam,” Michael said softly, “one day, when you fall in love, you will understand.”

He could hear Sam stifle a sob, but his voice was soft now, too, when he said: “Take care, Michael.”

“I will. And you take care of mom and grandpa, you're the man of the house now.” Michael croaked out, and for a tiny moment, everything inside him screamed to go back to his family again, to his old life, the only life he'd known before Santa Carla. But David was still smiling at him through the glass front of the tiny phone cell, his green-blue-golden eyes dark with the love the vampire felt for him.

“Good night, Sam.” Michael hung up the phone and stepped out of the cell to embrace David and kiss him.

“Ready to go, Michael?” David asked him when they parted again, his eyes searching for the answer in Michael's hooded gaze.

“Yes, I am.” Michael nodded his head, following David to the place where they had parked their vehicles beside the road. The triumphant roaring of their bikes was the only sound breaking the silence when they sped up side by side, the wind blowing Michael's dark curls and the pale moon shining onto David's bleached blond hair as they drove off into the night together.


End file.
